Bristow Flight 56C

Infobox Airliner accident|name=Bristow Flight 56C
Date=January 19 1995
Type= Lightning strike
Site= near Brae Alpha oil rig in the North Sea
Fatalities=0
Injuries=0
Aircraft Type=Eurocopter Super Puma
Operator=Bristow
Tail Number=G-TIGK
Passengers=16
Crew=2
Survivors=18 (all)

Bristow Flight 56C was a helicopter flight that flew between Aberdeen and oil rigs in the North Sea. On January 19 1995 the Super Puma helicopter was struck by lighting. The flight was carrying 16 oil workers from Aberdeen to an oil platform at the Brae oilfield. All people onboard survived.

En route the helicopter ran into poor weather and was then struck by lightning. This caused severe damage to the tail rotor. Though the helicopter managed to limp for a few more minutes, the tail rotor eventually failed completely and the pilot was forced to perform an emergency autorotation onto the rough seas. Emergency floaters on the helicopter allowed the passengers and crew to be evacuated onto a life raft. In spite of the high waves and bad weather, all the people onboard the flight were rescued.

The lightning strike was an isolated one in the storm, and may have been induced by the helicopter flying through the cloud. The accident investigation also revealed potential troubles with the composite material with brass strip design of the rotors which made the rotorblades prone to explosion and damage from lightning strikes.

The incident was featured in the "Mayday/Air Crash Investigation" episode "Helicopter Down".

References

* [http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/sites/aaib/cms_resources/dft_avsafety_pdf_502987.pdf Report] Aerospatiale AS332L Super Puma, G-TIGK: Main document. Compiled by E J Trimble, Air Accidents Investigations Branch, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, July 1997
* [http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP689.PDF CAA progress report for 1998] (p. 29)
* [http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP674.PDF CAA progress report for 1997] (p. 26)